e-government survey 2018 · reduction section; keran wang, chief, space applications section; siope...

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GEARING E-GOVERNMENT TO SUPPORT TRANSFORMATION TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT SOCIETIES

UNITED NATIONSE-GOVERNMENT SURVEY 2018GEARING E-GOVERNMENT TO SUPPORT TRANSFORMATION

TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT SOCIETIES


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UNITED NATIONSE-GOVERNMENTSURVEY 2018

Department of Economic and Social Affairs


UNITED NATIONSNew York, 2018publicadministration.un.org


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United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

The Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat is a vital interface between global policies in the economic, social and environmental spheres and national action. The Department works in three main interlinked areas: (i) it compiles, generates and analyses a wide range of economic, social and environmental data and information on which States Members of the United Nations draw to review common problems and to take stock of policy options; (ii) it facilitates the negotiations of Member States in many intergovernmental bodies on joint course of action to address ongoing or emerging global challenges; and (iii) it advises interested Governments on the ways and means of translating policy frameworks developed in United Nations conferences and summits into programmes at the country level and, through technical assistance, helps build national capacities.

Disclaimers

The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The designations “developed” and “developing” economics are intended for statistical convenience and do not necessarily imply a judgment about the state reached by a particular country or area in the development process. The term “country” as used in the text of this publication also refers, as appropriate, to territories or areas. The term “dollar” normally refers to the United States dollar ($). The views expressed are those of the individual authors and do not imply any expression of opinion on the part of the United Nations.

Copyright © United Nations, 2018

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission.

ST/ESA/PAD/SER.E/205

Sales no.: E.16.II.H.2

ISBN: 978-92-1-123205-9

eISBN: 978-92-1-058156-1

Symbol: ST/ESA/PAD/SER.E/205

United Nations E-Government Surveys:

2018 Gearing E-Government to support transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies

2016 E-Government for Sustainable Development

2014 E-Government for the Future We Want

2012 E-Government for the People

2010 Leveraging E-Government at a Time of Financial and Economic Crisis

2008 From E-Government to Connected Governance

2005 From E-Government to E-Inclusion

2004 Towards Access for Opportunity

2003 World Public Sector Report: E-Government at the Crossroads

2001 Benchmarking E-Government: A Global Perspective

Website: publicadministration.un.org

Layout at the United Nations, Nairobi

Printed at the United Nations, New York

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ForewordTo fulfil the far-reaching potential of the transformative 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, technologies must be used innovatively to ensure that the Sustainable Development Goals are met on time.

We are at a critical juncture, in the middle of a digital revolution that is not just about technologies, but also about the centrality of people and the planet. We are witnessing the simultaneous proliferation of big data, artificial intelligence, data science, blockchain, robotics and other frontier and fast-emerging technologies. These frontier technologies are building on and amplifying one another, affecting everything from our food systems, water and sanitation, energy, to education, health care and social services.

In particular, digital government has ushered in significant and enduring changes in the way people live and interact with each other, their environment, and public services. The 2018 Survey highlights a persistent positive global trend towards higher levels of e-government development. It examines how digital technologies and innovations are impacting the public sector and changing people’s everyday lives. As evidenced by the survey assessment and case studies, exploiting digital government has far-reaching potential for countries, not just in improving institutional processes and workflows for greater efficacy and effectiveness of public service delivery, but also in ensuring inclusion, participation and accountability to leave no one behind.

However, connectivity and access to new technologies remain elusive for some regions and countries, especially the most vulnerable, in particular the African countries, the least developed countries, small island developing States and the landlocked developing countries. In addition, there is a need to consider the inherent new and unprecedented risks. Without careful design application and oversight, artificial intelligence tools could harm vulnerable populations, reinforce existing inequalities, widen digital divides and adversely affect jobs and economies, as well as privacy, denial of service and other cybersecurity issues – also examined in the 2018 Survey. It is therefore also important to develop a tailored capacity training programme to create new public policy, science ethic and data scientist professions to strengthen institutional capacities of countries in deploying digital government and digital services.

LIU Zhenmin Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs

United Nations


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Acknowledgements

The 2018 United Nations E-Government Survey is the product of collective efforts of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG), formerly named as the Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM), working together with UN Regional Commissions and other UN agencies, as well as several international experts, researchers and related organizations. In particular, the following are acknowledged for their specific roles in its production.

Preparation of the publication was undertaken by a group of senior e-government researchers and advisers under the guidance of Vincenzo Aquaro, the Chief of Digital Government Branch and Marion Barthélemy, former Director of DPADM and then reviewed and finalized under the overall guidance of Vincenzo Aquaro and Stefan Schweinfest, Officer-in-Charge of DPIDG.

The Data Management Team was overseen by Vincenzo Aquaro. Deniz Susar, Governance and Public Administration Officer, managed the data collection, Survey research and analytical work, with support from Stella Simpas, Rosanne Greco, Madeleine Losch and Enkel Daljani, Programme Assistants, and Lydia Gatan, Staff Assistant. Wai Min Kwok, Senior Governance and Public Administration Officer, Elida Reci, Governance and Public Administration Officer and Arpine Korekyan, Governance and Public Administration Officer, provided support in the data analysis and verification. The 2018 Survey included considerable contribution in data collection and preparation of chapters from experts from the following UN organisations and academia: International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the United Nations University Operating Unit on Policy-Driven Electronic Governance (UNU-EGOV). Chapter 1 was prepared by Jeremy Millard, with substantive contributions of Vincenzo Aquaro and Wai Min Kwok, with Arpine Korekyan acting as focal point (FP) and final peer reviewer for that chapter. David Le Blanc, Chief of Institution for SDGs Branch, Aranzazu Guillán Montero, Senior Governance and Public Administration Officer and Maria Stefania Senese, Governance and Public Administration Officer provided cases and inputs to the chapter. Chapter 2 was prepared by Kim Andreasson, with Wai Min Kwok as FP and peer-reviewer; Chapter 3 by Atsuko Okuda, Chief of Information and Communications Technology and Development Section; Sanjay Srivastava, Chief, Disaster Risk Reduction Section; Keran Wang, Chief, Space Applications Section; Siope Vakataki ‘Ofa, Economic Affairs Officer, of ICTDRRD of ESCAP, with Peride Blind, Governance and Public Administration Officer, as FP and final peer reviewer. Chapter 4 was prepared by Mr. Marco Obiso, Head, Mr. Maxim Kushtuev, Project administrator and Miss Grace Acayo, Cybersecurity & GCI Consultant, of International Telecommunication Union (ITU), with the substantive contribution of Deniz Susar as FP and final peer reviewer; Chapter 5 by Vincenzo Aquaro, Arpine Korekyan and Deniz Susar, with Deniz Susar also as FP; Chapter 6 by Deniz Susar, with Arpine Korekyan as FP; Chapter 7 by Delfina Soares, Head, UNU-EGOV; Demetrious Sarantis, Postdoctoral Fellow and Mariana Lameiras, Postdoctoral Fellow, of UNU-EGOV, Demetrios, with the substantive contribution of Vincenzo Aquaro and Deniz Susar; the latter also as FP; Chapter 8 by Wendy Carrara, with Elida Reci as FP and substantive contribution from Dinand Tinholt, Vice President, Capgemini Consulting (ICT Mega Trends), Vincenzo Aquaro and Deniz Susar. The Annexes and the Methodology section were drafted by Vincenzo Aquaro and Deniz Susar, supported by external consultants Elena Garuccio, serving as a Data Statistician, and assisted by Enkel Daljani. Beth Flanders, Lydia Debbie Gatan undertook the editorial revision of the Survey with Rachael Purcell Research Assistant and Huichun Li Team Assistant providing invaluable support.

The 2018 Survey benefited from the advice and guidance of experts who took part in two Expert Group Meetings (EGM) to review the Survey’s themes and methodology; from the outcomes of

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an external Ex-Post-Facto evaluation report titled “Adapting the Sustainable Development Goals” UN E-Government Survey for the period 2001-2016” carried out by Edward M. Roche, Director of Scientific Intelligence Barraclough New York LLC; and from an informal advisory working group established by DPIDG in support of the preparation for the Survey.

The first EGM was organized by DPIDG in New York in May 2017 with the support of Dinand Tinholt, Vice President, Capgemini Consulting (ICT Mega Trends), who acted under his personal capacity, while the other was organized by UNU-EGOV in Guimarães, Portugal, in June 2017.

The New York EGM experts were: Dennis Anderson, Chairman and Professor of Management and Information Technology at St. Francis College, New York City, United States; Kim Andreasson, Managing Director of DAKA advisory, Sweden; Wendy Carrara, Principal Consultant, Capgemini Consulting, France; Sara Fernandes, Special Advisor, UNU-EGOV, Portugal; Haidar Fraihat, Director of Technology for Development Division at UN-ESCWA, Lebanon; Driss Ketani, Associate Professor of Computer Science, Al Akhwayn University, Morocco; Ashok Kumar, Director, eGovernment Leadership Centre, National University of Singapore; Jeremy Millard, Director of Third Millennium Governance and Chief Policy, United Kingdom; Theresa Pardo, Director, Center for Technology in Government, University at Albany, United States; Oleg Petrov, Program Coordinator for ICT at the World Bank, Russia; Edward Roche, Evaluation Consultant for the eGovernment Survey for the period 2003-2016, United States; Fadi Salem, Research Fellow, MBR School of Government (formerly Dubai School of Government), United Arab Emirates; Dinand Tinholt, Vice President, Capgemini Consulting (ICT Mega Trends), the Netherlands; Barbara-Chiara Ubaldi, Project Manager, Digital Government, OECD, Italy; Zheng Lei, Director, Lab for Digital and Mobile Governance, Fudan University, China.

The Guimarães EGM experts were: Aleksandr Riabushko, Government Fellow, UNU-EGOV, Portugal; Antonio Tavares, Associate Professor, University of Minho and Adjunct Associate Professor, UNU-EGOV, Portugal; Delfina Soares, Assistant Professor, University of Minho and Adjunct Assistant Professor, UNU-EGOV, Portugal; Demetrios Sarantis, Postdoctoral Fellow, UNU-EGOV, Portugal; Ibrahim Rohman, Research Fellow, UNU-EGOV, Portugal, Irfanullah Arfeen, Postdoctoral Fellow, UNU-EGOV, Portugal; João Álvaro Carvalho, Professor, University of Minho and Adjunct Professor, UNU-EGOV, Portugal; João Martins, Academic Fellow, UNU-EGOV, Portugal; Linda Veiga, Associate Professor, University of Minho and Adjunct Associate Professor, UNU-EGOV, Portugal; Luis Barbosa, Associate Professor, University of Minho and Head ad Interim, UNU-EGOV, Portugal; Mariana Lameiras, Postdoctoral Fellow, UNU-EGOV, Portugal; Mario Peixoto, Editorial Assistant, UNU-EGOV, Portugal; Morten Meyerhoff Nielsen, Academic Fellow, UNU-EGOV, Portugal; Nuno Carvalho, Postdoctoral Fellow, UNU-EGOV, Portugal; Nuno Lopes, Postdoctoral Fellow, UNU-EGOV, Portugal; Sara Fernandes, Special Adviser, UNU-EGOV, Portugal; Soumaya Ben Dhaou, Research Fellow, UNU-EGOV, Portugal; and Tiago Silva, Academic Fellow, UNU-EGOV, Portugal.

The members of the Informal Advisory Working Group were: Kim Andreasson (Sweden); Dennis Anderson (United States); Wendy Carrara (France); Driss Ketani (Morocco); Ashok Kumar (Singapore); Jeremy Millard (United Kingdom); Theresa Pardo (United States); Fadi Salem (Syria); Dinand Tinholt (The Netherlands); Zheng Lei (China).

Telecommunication infrastructure data and education data were respectively provided by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Enkel Daljani, Desalegn Biru and Nosipho Dhladhla updated and maintained the data assessment platform and the online database platform.


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United Nations interns who assisted in research and data collection and verification, collecting case studies, and formatting the Survey, included: Abdussalam Naveed, Aikanysh Saparalieva, Aly El-Samy, Cansu Uttu, Carlos Baeta, Cherif Aboueich, Chunyu Guo, Danning He, Diren Kocakusak, Dominika Zak, Hasan Shuaib, Isabella Arce, Ivan Spirydonau, Matthew Carneiro, Mina Koutsorodi, Nargiza Berdyyeva, Niccolò Guerrieri, Nikola Lipovac, Olivia Lin, Roseta Alvarez Roig, Sen Li, Svenja Stabler, Tala Khanji, Thomas de Clercq, Wu Yingji, Xiaoyang Xu, Yiming Chang, Yini Gao, and Yuchen Yang.

Engaging United Nations Volunteers in the Survey

The 2018 edition continued to engage United Nations Online Volunteers (UNVs) in order to cover most primary languages of the 193 UN Member States. Since the Survey won the UN Volunteer Award in 2013, the 2018 edition was able to attract 197 volunteers with knowledge of 66 languages from 92 countries. Over the course of four months, volunteers completed 393 research surveys. Deniz Susar provided overall coordination throughout the data collection process and with the assistance of Enkel Daljani, Rosanne Greco, Lydia Gatan, Madeleine Losch and Stella Simpas, coordinated the UNVs, which were engaged in four teams. Special thanks also go to the following UN staff members who, under the supervision of DPIDG, reviewed a number of countries: Aarao Benchimol, Aisha Jeelaan, Alexandra Bettencourt, Aranzazu Guillan Montero, Benedicte Niviere, Flor Velazco-Juarez, Iwona Gardon, Laura Marrocchi, Madoka Koide, Said Maalouf, Said Maalouf, Saw Htoo, Sovanna Sun and Victoria Kim. UN staff members, with the support of interns completed a comprehensive second stage data assessment and review. Vincenzo Aquaro, Deniz Susar and Elena Garuccio worked together to update the statistical methodology. Elena Garuccio conducted the statistical regressions and data correlation analysis.

The following UNVs reviewed the national portals of the Member States: Abraham Andriamarelaza Ratsizafy, Adama Kindo, Adasena Cojocaru, Adoración Hernández López, Agnieszka Kazmierska, Agnieszka Krukowska, Ahmad Khalid Slimankhil, Ahmed Yesuf, Ajna Uzuni, Aleksandar Cosic, Aleksandra Starcevic, Alexandra Sarinova, Amel Aït-Hamouda, Amirjon Abdukodirov, Amruta Pujari, Ana Carolina Tomé Pires, Ana Kurkhuli, Anait Akopyan, Anbar Jayadi, Andreea Madalina Dinel, Andrle Jiri, Anja Vuksanovic, Anna Sanosyan, Anne Kristine GIltvedt, Annette Sagri, Anta Badji, Ayhan Onder, Bahiru Mekonnen, Batzaya Bayasgalan, Beatrice Nkundwa, Begmyrat Bayryyev, Belynda Howell Rendon, Bladimir Diaz Borges, Bogdana Storozuk, Britta Sadoun, Cai NI, Carolina González Domínguez, Charles Banda, Christy Box, Claudia Torres, Dace Abola, Debora Cerro Fernandez, Dewi Gayatri Suwadji, Dina Tarek, Doaa Badr, Douglas Kibowen, Doukessa Lerias, Edie Vandy, Edwina Fung, Elena Burés, Elena Panova, Elvia Angelica Erosa Mercado, Emperatriz Nieves, Ertem Vehid, Etoh Kokou Sitsofe, Evgeny Bachevsky, Eyasu Shishigu, Fatima Jaffery, Tieu Ngoc Diem Quynh, Feren Calderwood, Francois Kasanda Kanku, Gabriella Zsótér, Ghadeer Khader, Gudrun Helga Johannsdottir, Gulnar Bayramova, Guy Nicolas Nahimana, Hilda Sucipto, Huyen Le Thi, Huyen Nga Le, Hyejun Kim, Idrees Bangash, Inês Godinho, Irene Castillo, Irina Langeler, Iryna Parkhomenko, Isabelle Plante, Ivana Spirovska Paccoud, Jawwad Zaki, Jennifer Wang, Jing Li, Jocelyne Pitos, Jonathan Bentsen, Jorge Diaz, Joyce Paul, Karolina Trojanowicz, Kiia Strömmer, Klara Tomazic, Kristyn Alldredge, Kyaw Zan Linn, Laura Donati, Lea Lavut, Loïc Druenne, Lora Nielsen, Loraine Fernandes, Lorena Belenky, Lucas Foganholo,Luciana Batista Esteves, Lydia Sawyer, Mafalda Prista Leao, Maia Baghaturia, Mansi Majithia, Maria Capogreco, Maria Gigourtaki, Mariana Fonseca Viegas, Marija Batic, Marina Teixeira, Mario Fernando Valenzuela Cruz, Markhabokhon Rakhimova, Marta Chowaniak, Marta Kusnierska, Maryam Navi, Matea Beslic, Md. Ershadul Karim, Menna T-Allah Yasser Nabil, Michaela Kytlicova, Michèle Andriamparany, Milena Melo, Mine Seyda Ozkavak, Minhui Hou, Minkyung Shin, Mohamad Mzanar, Mohammed Alrushoodi, Mounia Malki, Mourifie Adou, Muhammad Tukur Shehu, Nafiseh Jafarzadeh, Nasrin Moghaddam, Neil Deleon, Nidya Astrini, Nina Hurson, Nozomi Ushijima, Nupoor Prasad, Nusaibah Jaber Abuelhaija, Olaya

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Álvarez, Olga Kuzmina, Olga Shumilo, Olga Sokorova, Oyundari Batsaikhan, Papa Birame Tall, Paula Babot, Pema Tenzin, Peme Paco, Pietari Pikkuaho, Pooja Panwar, Preethi Jayaram, Rabab Saleh, Rafat Haddad, Rajeev K.C., Ramin Maleki, Raquel Esther Jorge Ricart, Raymond Selorm Mamattah, Reham Haroun Younes, Reinaldo Gonzalez, Renata Svincicka, Robert Oichi, Rose Santos, Sabina Magar, Sagorika Roy, Sandra Just, Seleshi Yalew, Sezen Bayazeid, Shamsul Alam Roky, Silvia Laracca, Sirivanh Fujimoto, Solomon Tesfay Ghebrehiwet, Stephen Michael Agada, Susanne John, Svetla Y. McCandless, Sylvia Fodor, Tadoa Bruno Yonli, Tamara Adaeva, Tasneem Ali Qurrah, Thamashi De Silva, Thanood Mahnorath, Thawatchai Khanawiwat, Toyin Akinfolarin, Tuija von der Pütten, Umer Farooq, Umesha Weerakkody, Valentin Mihai Popovici, Vazgen Tadevosyan, Veronika Komaromi, Victoria Kovalenko, Volha Shyshlova, Waleed Anwar, Wojciech Malecki, Xian Guan, Xiaodan Huang, Xiaoxu Wu, Xoliswa Saila, Yilin Yang, Yosra Mubark Yousif Mohamed, Yuming Han, Zafirah Singham, Zhuolin Li, Zigeng Huang, Zixi Liu.

The 2018 edition also engaged a number of UNVs, UN Staff and UN Interns in the pilot study of local e-Government development by conducting a review of a select list of city portals. These researchers include: Abby El-Shafei, Aleksandr Riabushko, Alexandra Bettencourt, Aliya Abdikadirova, Anni Haataja, Arpine Korekyan, David Lung’aho, Debbie Gatan, Dimitrios Sarantis, Elida Reci, Enkel Daljani, Guillermina Cledou, Ibrahim Rohman, Irfanullah Arfeen, Jan-Willem Lammens, Karolina Trojanowicz, Madeleine Losch, Mário Peixoto, Mengyuan He, Minkyung Shin, Monika Halinarova, Nele Leosk, Nozomi Ushijima, Rosanne Greco, Said Maalouf, Selen Ozdogan, Soumaya Ben Dhao, Stella Simpas, Thamashi De Silva, Thanood Mahnorath, Tiblet Kelemwork, Vincenzo Aquaro, and Zafirah Singham.


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Acronyms

AAL Average Annual Loss

AGESIC Agency for e-Government and Information and Knowledge Society of Uruguay

AI Artificial Intelligence

ARC African Risk Capacity

CCRP SCP Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Segregated Portfolio Company

CEPA Committee of Experts on Public Administration

CRED Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters

DRM Disaster Risk Management

EGDI E-Government Development Index

EM-DAT The International Disaster Database

EPI E-Participation Index

ECLAC Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

ESCAP Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

ESCWA United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia

FAQ Frequently Asked Questions

G2B Government-to-Business

G2C Government-to-Citizen

GNI Gross National Income

HCI Human Capital Index

ICT Information Communication Technologies

ITU International Telecommunication Union

LAC Latin America and the Caribbean

MSQ Member State Questionnaire

NGO Non-Government Organization

NITA National Telecommunications and Information Administration

O&E Outbreak and Epidemic Response

OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

OGD Open Government Data

OSI Online Service Index

OSQ Online Service Questionnaire

PPP Public-Private Partnerships

RCT Randomized Controlled Trial

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RSS Rich Site Summary

SDG Sustainable Development Goals

SIDS Small Island Developing States

SMS Short Message Service

TII Telecommunication Infrastructure Index

UIDAI Unique Identification Authority of India

UN/CEFACT United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and E-business

UNDESA United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

UNECE United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

UNESCAP United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund

UNOOSA United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs

UNOSSC United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation

WPSR World Public Sector Report

WSIS World Summit on the Information Society

XCF Extreme Climate Facility


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ContentsForeword iii

Acknowledgements iv

Acronyms viii

About the Survey xxix

Executive Summary xxiii

Chapter 1 Mobilizing e-government to build resilient societies: preconditions and enabling environment 1

1.1 Introduction 1

1.2 Preconditions for e-government to accelerate the building of sustainability and resilience 2

1.3 E-government strategies for sustainability and resilience 14

1.4 Challenges, risks and vulnerabilities 20

1.5 Conclusions 22

References: 24

Chapter 2 E-government for leaving no one behind 27

2.1 Introduction 27

2.2 E-service delivery 28

2.3 Digital divides 34

2.4 Digital literacy 39

2.5 Emerging divides: migrants, restrictions on access, and net neutrality 40

2.6 Conclusion 42

References 43

Chapter 3 E-resilience through e-government: global and regional perspectives 47

3.1 Introduction: Impact of Natural Disasters and Role of Policy and ICT in Disaster Risk Management 47

3.2 E-resilience and its linkages to ICT and E-government 53

3.3 Emerging uses of artificial intelligence, social media, space technology applications and geospatial information for e-resilience 56

3.4 Mainstreaming e-resilience within e-government framework 60

3.5 Conclusions and Policy Recommendations 61

References 64

Chapter 4 Building the resilience of e-government 67

4.1. Introduction: Need for a resilient e-government system 67

4.2. Global view in cybersecurity 68

4.3. Designing a secure e-government system 71

4.4. Conclusion 80

References 81

Chapter 5 Global trends in e-government 83

5.1 Introduction 83

5.2 E-government rankings in 2018 83


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5.3 Progress in online service delivery 96

5.4 Trends in Open Government Data 107

5.5 Trends in mobile service delivery 109

5.6 E-participation: public engagement for innovative public e services delivery 110

5.7 Conclusions 122

References 125

Chapter 6 Regional development and country groupings performance 127

6.1. Introduction 127

6.2. Regional rankings 127

6.3 The situation in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) 142

6.4 Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) 143

6.5 The situation in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) 144

6.6 Conclusion 148

References 149

Chapter 7 Improve cities resilience and sustainability through e-government assessment 151


7.2. Local Level e-Government 152

7.3 Current Status of Local Online Services: a Pilot Study 154

7.4. Using Local e-Government to Advance SDG implementation 171

7.5. Conclusion 173

References 175

Chapter 8 Fast-evolving technologies in e-government: Government Platforms, Artificial Intelligence and People 177


8.2. Harnessing fast evolving technologies 178

8.3. Deep Dive into a cluster of new technology revolving around data 183

8.4. Deep dive into a cluster of new technology revolving around AI and Robotics 187

8.5. Harnessing technology for societal resilience 189

8.6. Conclusion 193

References 195

Annexes 198

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Boxes

1.1 Compendium of national institutional arrangements for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 3

1.2 Tax Administration Division, Republic of Korea (2018 UNPSA Winner) 6

1.3 Policy integration for the Sustainable Development Goals 7

1.4 Santiago: Ingredients for a smart sustainable city 10

1.5 Prime Ministry Communication Center (B MER), Turkey 12

1.6 The United Nations Public Service Forum and Awards Ceremony 13

1.7 Ghana: remote access to Wifi and Internet services 14

1.8 USA: Text4Baby SMS support service for new and expectant mothers 15

1.9 Portugal: the modernization of public services 18

1.10 MOOCs: Massive Open Online Courses - a global phenomenon 19

2.1 Mexico: Automated SMS communication nudges users towards healthy habits 31

2.2 Rwanda: Drones to improve health care 32

2.3 Bangladesh: Digital financial inclusion initiatives 33

2.4 Asia-Pacific: E-government for women toolkit 37

2.5 Portugal: Citizen Spots combat the digital divide 39

2.6 Europe: Developing digital skills 40

2.7 Finland: Blockchain for identity management and financial inclusion 41

3.1 Disaster Response and Recovery: Impact of Cyclone Winston on Fiji in 2016 51

3.2 Disaster Communications Management, Prevention and Response in Madagascar and Uganda 52

3.3 Disaster Risk Prevention, Reduction and Response: DHMS Weather Monitoring and Early Warning in Bhutan and E-resilience in Japan 55

3.4 Disaster Preparedness: Sensor Detection for Early Warning: The Cases of Chile and Sri Lanka 57

3.5 Disaster Preparedness and Response: Artificial Intelligence using Social Media 57

3.6 Disaster Risk Prevention, Reduction and Preparedness: Socio-economic Information to Supplement Drought Data 58

3.7. Using Spatial Technologies and Science-Based Modelling in Disaster Risk Management: Perspectives from Africa and the Caribbean 39

3.8. Global-level initiatives of disaster risk management and ICT 60

3.9. United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP): Linking disaster risk management with e-resilience 61

4.1 ITU Global Cybersecurity Index 69

4.2 Data Protection Act of Switzerland 74

4.3 National Cyber Security Strategy of the United Kingdom 75

4.4 The National Computer Emergency Response Team of the United Arab Emirates 77

4.5. Information Security Policy in Georgia 77

5.1 e-Ghana and e-Transform projects 85

5.2 Belarus e-government development 90

5.3 Uruguay: Democratizing access to all government services 99

5.4 E-participation activities in Finland 118

5.5 E-participation activities in Brazil 120

5.6 Internet Voting in Estonia 121

5.7 Digital Malta Strategy 2014-2020 121


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6.1 UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) work on selected areas in ICTs 134

6.2 Case Study on Mauritius’ Vision 2030 Blueprint 134

6.3 Case Study on Agenda Uruguay Digital 2020 136

6.4 Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) 137

6.5 Case Study on the Republic of Korea’s e-Government Master Plan 2020 137

6.6 The World Government Summit 138

6.7 UN-ESCWA and eGovernment in the Arab Region 139

6.8 Case Study on Denmark’s Digital Strategy 2016-2020 141

6.9 European Union Digital Single Market 141

6.10 Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Symposium, Nassau, Commonwealth of the Bahamas (26-27 February 2017) 145

7.1 Local e-Government Assessment Efforts 154

7.2 Helsinki: Helsinki Region Infoshare 165

7.3 Amsterdam: Solar Cycle Path 166

7.4 Seoul: smart bins for waste management improvement 167

7.5 Bogota: Geographic Information Services 168

7.6 Sydney: Community Consultation 168

7.7 Tallinn City Office Response 171

8.1. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) : whitepapers on Blockchain 182

8.2 Government as an API 184

8.3 Global Pulse Initiative 186

8.4 Streamlining the use of Earth Observation 187

8.5 Europe rolls out an integrated approach to Artificial intelligence 188

8.6 AI for Good Global Summit 189

8.7 Process Innovation Insight 190

8.8 AI and deep machine learning for early diagnosis of brain diseases 191

8.9 United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) 192

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Figures

2.1 Individuals using the Internet 28

2.2 Mobile subscriptions in developed and developing countries 29

2.3 Channel versus relative cost unit 29

2.4 Number of country websites with information about specific programmes/initiative to benefit vulnerable groups and communities 30

2.5 Number of countries with specific online government services available to vulnerable groups. 31

2.6 English language dominance 36

2.7 Educational access 39

3.1 Number of reported natural disaster occurrences by region, between 2000 and 2017, per million inhabitants 48

3.2 Total number of deaths from natural disasters ((2000 - 2017), by major regions. 48

3.3 Number of reported natural disasters (2000-2017), top 20 economies 49

3.4 Total damages from natural disasters (USD billion) (2000 - 2017) by major regions 49

3.5 AAL figures for Pacific Island countries by hazard type. 51

3.6 E-resilience guiding principle 54

3.7 Disaster Management Cycle 54

3.8 Percentage of countries with e-government sites that share updates and information on electricity or power outage. 55

4.1 Percentage of countries with CII protection included in their legislation or cyber security strategy. 70

4.2 Five Pillars of ITU-s Global Cybersecurity Agenda 71

4.3 Total number of Member States with laws related to cybercrime in 2017 72

4.4 Percentage of countries with Access to Information Act 73

4.5 Personal data protection legislation available online 73

4.6 Countries with cybersecurity legislation online 74

4.7 Countries with cybersecurity legislation online 76

4.8 Regional view of CERT/CIRT/CSIRT 77

5.1 Number of countries grouped by E-Government Development Index (EDGI) in 2016 and 2018 84

5.2 Breakdown of EGDI Indices comparting data from 2014, 2016 and 2018 88

5.3 Regional averages with maximum and minimum values of EGDI in 2018 92

5.4 Regional distribution by EGDI level, 2018 93

5.5 Correlation between EGDI and Income groups and GDP 94

5.6 Distribution of OSI values by income groups, 2018 95

5.7 EGDI and its component indices for 2014 and 2018 96

5.8 Trends in transactional services online 100

5.9 Number of countries offering new transactional services assessed in 2018 survey 100

5.10 Types of online services by sector, 2016 and 2018 101

5.11 Changes in sector-specific online service provision, percentage 102

5.12 Services provided via email, SMS or RSS, percentage of countries in each region, 2018 102

5.13 Online services provided for vulnerable groups, 2016 and 2018 103

5.14 The aspects of governance assessed on websites, by EGDI level group, 2018 105

5.15 Number of countries offering tools related to e-procurement out of 193 countries, 2016 and 2018 105


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5.16 Government vacancies online, 2016 and 2018 106

5.17 Availability of basic, advanced and very advanced services on national e-government portals by country income 107

5.18 Countries with Open Government Data Portal and/or Catalogues in 2014, 2016 and 2018 108

5.19 Functionalities of Open Government Data Portals, 2018 108

5.20 Trends in open government data, by sector, 2016 and 2018 109

5.21 Trends in Mobile Apps and SMS Services usage by sectors in 2016 and 2018 110

5.22 Mobile Services Delivery by Sector 110

5.23 Trends in fixed broadband subscriptions in 2016 and 2018 111

5.24 Trends in active wireless-broadband subscriptions in 2016 and 2018 111

5.25 Trends in mobile phone subscriptions in 2016 and 2018 112

5.26 Number of countries grouped by EPI levels in 2016 and 2018 113

5.27 Distribution of 62 countries with Very-High EPI level by region, 2018 (compared with the regions’ percentage in total 193 countries) 116

5.28 Number of countries offering archived information in 2016 and 2018, by sector 118

5.29 Number of countries with online engagement tools on national portals and their usage 119

5.30 Number of countries providing online services in partnership with civil society or private sector, by region, 2016 and 2018 120

6.1 Breakdown of E-Government Development Index (EGDI) per geographical region 128

6.2 Contributors to the EGDI Improvements 129

6.3 Comparison of the standard deviation of EGDI, OSI, HCI and TII 129

6.4 Breakdown of change in countries’ EGDI categories per geographical region from 2016 to 2018 130

6.5 Percentage of countries grouped by E-Government Development index (EGDI) level and geographical regions 131

6.6 Amount spent on mobile broadband as percentage of GNI per capita against the percentage of subscriptions per geographical region 132

6.7 Transactional services per geographical region 133

6.8 World Average v. Average EGDI levels for LDCs, LLDCs, SIDS for 2014-2018 146

6.9 Granular breakdown of 2018 e-Government Development Index (EGDI) and its components per grouping 147

6.10 Percentage of Countries Represented per bloc based on E-Government Development Index (EGDI) levels 148

7.1 Percentage of cities in each cluster 160

7.2 City–Country Online Services Index cross classification in 2018 161

7.3 Performance of cities per region 162

7.4 Implementation of Technology indicators in municipalities’ websites 163

7.5 Implementation of Content Provision indicators in municipalities’ websites 164

7.6 Implementation of Participation indicators in municipalities’ websites 167

7.7 Implementation of Services Provision indicators in municipalities’ websites 169

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Tables

2.1 A selection of digital divides - from access to useful usage. 34

3.1 Top 10 Member States with the highest commitment to cybersecurity. 50

3.2 E-resilience and Role for ICT in Disaster Risk Management 53

4.1 Top 10 Member States with the highest commitment to cybersecurity. 70

4.2 Global cybersecurity activities 79

5.1 Countries grouped by EGDI levels 86

5.2 Leading countries in e-government development 89

5.3 Countries grouped by Level of Online Service Index (OSI), 2018 96

5.4 Trends in transactional online services 99

5.5 Online services provided to vulnerable groups, regional distribution, 2018 103

5.6 Summary of assessed e-participation features 113

5.7 Top 10 Performers in 2018 114

5.8 Countries grouped by E-participation Index levels 114

5.9 Countries that have advanced more than 30 positions in the 2018 EPI ranking 117

6.1 Top 10 countries for e-government in Africa 135

6.2 Top 10 countries in e-government in the Americas 136

6.3 Top 10 countries for e-government in Asia 138

6.4 Level of e-government development in Gulf Cooperation Council member states 138

6.5 Level of e-government development in European Union member states 140

6.6 Top 10 countries for e-government in Oceania 142

6.7 Top 10 countries for e-government - Least Developed Countries (LDC) 143

6.8 Top 10 countries for e-government - Landlocked Developing Countries 144

6.9 Top 10 countries for e-government - Small Island Developing States 145

7.1 LOSI – Criteria and Indicators 156

7.2 Pilot Cities Profile 157

7.3 Ranking of cities 159

7.4 Percentage of indicators per criteria that scored by percentage of cities. 162

8.1 Definitions 183


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About the Survey Background

The 2018 United Nations E-Government Survey (hereinafter referred to as “the Survey”) is issued at the time of key rapid technological changes, with Member States in the third year of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Survey provides new analysis and evidence to further utilize the potential of e-government to support the 2030 Agenda. This particular edition examines how governments can use e-government and information technologies to build sustainable and resilient societies.

Scope and purpose

Since 2001, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) has published the United Nations E-Government Survey. Following on past editions, and now in its tenth edition, the Survey provides an analysis of progress in using e-government.

The Survey is the only global report that assesses the e-government development status of all Member States of the United Nations. The assessment rates the e-government performance of countries relative to one another, as opposed to being an absolute measurement. It recognizes that each country should decide upon the level and extent of its e-government initiatives in keeping with its own national development priorities and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Survey measures e-government effectiveness in the delivery of public services and identifies patterns in e-government development and performance as well as countries and areas where the potential of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) and e-government has not yet been fully exploited and where capacity development support might be helpful.

It serves as a development tool for countries to learn from each other, identify areas of strength and challenges in e-government and shape their policies and strategies in this area. It is also aimed at facilitating and informing discussions of intergovernmental bodies, including the United Nations General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the High Level Political Forum, on issues related to e-government and development and to the critical role of ICTs in development.

The Survey is mainly intended for policy makers, government officials, academia, civil society, private sector and other practitioners and experts in the areas of public administration, e-government, and ICTs for development.

Structure and methodology

The Survey is composed of an analytical part and of data on e-government development contained in the annexes of the publication, providing a snapshot of relative rankings of e-government development of all Member States. Every edition of the Survey focuses on a specific theme and sub-themes that are of particular interest to Member States and the international community at large. The methodology for the analytical part of the Survey is based on a literature review and an analysis of the Survey’s data. Innovative practices are also collected to illustrate how ICTs are being used to transform public administration and institutions in support of sustainable development. In addition, during the preparatory process of the publication, expert group meetings are organized to solicit views and inputs from world-renowned scholars and practitioners.

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The methodological framework for the collection and assessment of the Survey’s data on e-government development is based on a holistic view of e-government that incorporates three important dimensions that allow people to benefit from online services and information: the adequacy of telecommunication infrastructure, the ability of human resources to promote and use ICTs, and the availability of online services and content. The Survey tracks progress of e-government development via the E-Government Development Index (EGDI). The EGDI, which assesses e-government development at the national level, is a composite index based on the weighted average of three normalized indices. One-third is derived from a Telecommunications Infrastructure Index (TII) based on data provided by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), one-third from a Human Capital Index (HCI) based on data provided by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and one-third from the Online Service Index (OSI) based on data collected from an independent survey questionnaire, conducted by UNDESA, which assesses the national online presence of all 193 United Nations Member States. The survey questionnaire assesses a number of features related to online service delivery, including whole-of-government approaches, open government data, e-participation, multi-channel service delivery, mobile services, usage up-take, digital divide as well as innovative partnerships through the use of ICTs. This data is collected by a group of researchers under the supervision of UNDESA through a primary research and collection endeavour.

As a composite indicator, the EGDI is used to measure the readiness and capacity of national institutions to use ICTs to deliver public services. This measure is useful for government officials, policy makers, researchers and representatives of civil society and the private sector to gain a deeper understanding of the relative position of a country in utilizing e-government for the delivery of public services.

The methodological framework has remained consistent across Survey periods while its components have been updated to reflect new trends in e-government as well as new indicators for telecommunications and human capital. The 2004 and 2005 editions of the Survey captured the state of a country’s readiness for e-government. However, in 2008, as ‘readiness’ was not deemed to adequately reflect the need for concrete implementation on the ground, the publication changed its focus from assessing readiness to assessing actual development. In 2014, ‘e-government maturity’ was viewed as obsolete since e-government goals and targets are constantly evolving to deliver and surpass what the public expects (UNDESA, 2014).

The 2018 Survey’s data is presented both at the end of the publication and online1. This includes data relative to the EGDI by country (in alphabetical order), by region and by countries in special situations, i.e. Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), Least Developed Countries (LDCs). The publication then presents information about the Online Service Index and its components; the Telecommunication Infrastructure Index and its components; and the Human Capital Index and its components. Information about the E-Participation Index (EPI) is also contained in the data tables. Further comprehensive information about the methodology of the 2016 Survey is available in the Annexes.

Preparatory process of the 2018 Survey

The preparatory process of the 2018 Survey has included a number of activities. The first was to outsource an external evaluation of the eGovernment Survey for the period 2003-20162. This evaluation took a look at the history of the e-Government Survey and answered a number of questions aimed at evaluating the overall program. It then summarized a number of observations, and made recommendations for going forward, setting the scene for a more in-depth methodological

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review. Further, two Expert Group Meetings (EGMs) (in New York and in Guimarães, Portugal) were organized to allow experts in the field of digital government to exchange views on challenges, identify emerging issues and areas from a sustainable development perspective, and reflect/review/update the current methodology of the Survey. The work started at the EGMs was continued until December 2017 through consultation with an Informal Advisory Working Group comprised of 10 international experts and practitioners from academia, private sector and civil society, who served in their personal capacity.

For the Online Service Index (OSI) values for 2018, a total of 206 online United Nations Volunteer (UNV) researchers from 89 countries with coverage of 66 languages assessed each country’s national website in the native language using the Survey’s Online Service Questionnaire. In addition, all United Nations Member States were requested (through the Member State Questionnaire) to provide information regarding their website addresses (URL) for different government ministries and the national portal(s). One hundred (100) Member States (comprising 51.8% of UN membership) returned the completed questionnaires, and the appropriate submitted sites were then utilized during the verification process.

What was changed in the 2018 edition compared to 2016

To improve the methodology and take into account the lessons learned from the previous editions, the inputs and feedback received by Member States, the recommendations from the external evaluation, the outcomes of the EGMs and the latest technological and policy development, a limited number of changes were introduced in the 2018 Survey as summarized below:

The questionnaire to assess the government portals, Online Service Questionnaire (OSQ), was expanded to include the main principles of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Leaving No One Behind, with a particular focus on Goal 16, namely accountability, effectiveness, inclusiveness, openness and trustworthiness.

• In regard to the OSQ, further automated tools were used to assess accessibility and presentation of websites in smart phones and on other small-screen devices.

• For the first time, the list of the OSQ areas assessed in this edition of the UN E-Government Survey was added in the Annexes.

• An updated and detailed Member States Questionnaire (MSQ) was launched in 2017 to gather further detailed information about the efforts of governments in e-government development.

• The MSQ and the list of 100 responding Member States were added in the Annexes. • A pilot Local Online Service Index (LOSI) has been created and a pilot analysis and ranking,

covering 40 cities worldwide, was added. • The list of the LOSI indicators assessed in this edition was added in the Annexes. • The sub-indicator of Telecommunication Infrastructure Index (TII) entitled “Wireless broadband

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants” was replaced by “Active mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants” due to incontinuity of data collection for the latter by ITU.

References:

1 See, for reference, https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb

2 Edward M. Roche (2017). Evaluation of the UN E-Government Survey for the period 2003-2016. [online] Available at: http://workspace.unpan.org/sites/Internet/Documents/UNPAN97454.pdf


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Summary

Executive Summary

The 2018 UN E-Government Survey, with the overall theme “gearing e-government to support transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies”, is published as the implementation of the 2030 Agenda advances to its third year and the 2018 High-level political forum (HLPF) focuses on transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies.

Shocks of various kinds can derail progress towards realizing the vision of the 2030 Agenda. Strengthening resilience is at the heart of all sustainable development goals (SDGs) and is thus essential for sustainable progress. Strengthening resilience by ensuring that people, societies, and institutions have the resources, capacities and knowledge to limit, anticipate, absorb and adapt to shocks, underpins all the SDGs. Governments are responsible for pursuing policies to build resilience and assist those most affected. The 2018 United Nations E-Government Survey considers the ways in which, using digital technology, governments can and are responding to shocks emanating from natural or man-made disasters and various types of other crises. The Survey acknowledges the progressive reliance on digital technologies in managing emergency responses, performing essential functions, and swiftly recovering from crises. For example, governments are ramping up their use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), open data, e-government services, and cutting-edge technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and blockchain to hasten response and strengthen resilience.

Mobilizing e-government to build resilient societies: preconditions and enabling environment

The Survey highlights the many and complex opportunities for deploying e-government to build resilient societies and sets out the necessary preconditions, as well as outlines ways in which e-government can advance the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Basic services such as health, education, water and sanitation, as well as sound infrastructure and utilities, are essential to sustaining development and improving quality of life. To ensure resilience of societies and development sustainability, the Survey suggests that public services should be made available to everyone, leaving no one behind. New and existing technologies are essential for broader access as well as the provision of significant benefits to service users at a reduced cost. The transformational and facilitating powers of ICTs are creating a paradigm shift in the public sector, but despite the sector’s enormous influence, governments remain responsible for quality, standards, and ethics of public services, and for ensuring that no one is left behind. Despite the technological advances in e-government, an increasingly digitized world carries risks, including growing threats to social cohesion and economic prosperity, as well as planetary challenges related to climate change and environmental stress. The 2018 Survey assesses the readiness of governments to confront these threats and challenges.

E-government for leaving no one behind

The Survey notes a negative correlation between digital use and social exclusion. Online use, offers an opportunity for e-inclusion but also risks a new digital divide, owing to insufficient access in low-income countries, either because of a lack of devices or of bandwidth and speed. The research also indicates that the greater ease with which information is gathered, stored, analyzed and disseminated and the decreasing cost and coverage of mobile-cellular and mobile broadband subscriptions have improved e-service delivery to vulnerable populations.


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According to the Survey, since 2012, there has been a steady increase in the number of country websites with information about specific programmes benefiting women and children, persons with disabilities, older persons, indigenous people, and people living in poverty. Increasingly, United Nations Member States are addressing the needs of marginalized groups through more targeted interventions and services provision. Still, the majority of the world’s population remains offline, which increases the risk that vulnerable groups without Internet access will fall further behind in the rapidly progressing digital society. Thus, technology can both aid and impede the overarching goal of leaving no one behind.

The digital divides are reviewed, both in terms of access to ICTs and the potentially negative consequences of a “digital first” approach wherein services are primarily offered online, isolating those who do not have online services or do not know how to access or use them. The Survey discusses the implications both of having digital skills and the lack thereof. It concludes that there are many opportunities to enhance social and digital inclusion through e-government and that emerging technologies and innovative multi-stakeholder partnerships can help to expand e-government access for all and provide dedicated services to address traditional problems related to poverty and social exclusion.

E-government: A tool to better anticipate and respond to disasters

The Survey presents an overview of natural disasters, the consequent loss of life and economic devastation, and the ways in which countries and regions are affected differently. Natural disasters continue to constrain the efforts of Member States in achieving the sustainable development goals. Particularly worrisome is the exposure and vulnerability of landlocked least developed countries, least developed countries and small island developing States. Often, these countries do not have adequate coping mechanisms, especially when faced with multiple hazards. The losses incurred from damaged infrastructure, such as schools and homes, and health facilities, can be immense and can undermine development for generations.

Global accords such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, which encourage the mainstreaming of disaster risk concerns into all sectors, are detailed. ICTs play an important role in ensuring that disaster response and recovery are fast and efficient. Indeed, ICTs are recognized as an enabler in supporting all phases of disaster risk management from prevention, reduction, and preparedness to respond and recover, and the Survey emphasizes the need to protect critical ICT infrastructure from disaster impacts. Several e-resilience initiatives across the globe are designed to support the various phases of disaster risk management and response. Examples from Uganda, Madagascar, Chile, Sri Lanka and Bhutan underline the importance of relaying the right information at the right time. Given that some disasters such as floods, cyclones and typhoons, and droughts are transboundary in nature, inter-regional and global data sharing and coordination among concerned countries and regions are crucial. Partnerships also aid smaller economies, which may not have sufficient budgets or personnel to take charge of all phases of disaster risk reduction.

Building the resilience of e-government

Cybersecurity is a key factor in the transformation to resilient e-government. Security measures need to be strategically incorporated from the outset, during the design phase. The global community is increasingly embracing ICTs as a key enabler of social and economic development but cautions that misuse is raising questions about State security and protection of individuals and businesses in the explosion of global connectivity. It is important for governments to

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improve the management of ICT-driven approaches to guarantee continuity of online services as well as to safeguard people’s data and privacy.

The Survey posits that a change in existing procedures as well as heightened cybersecurity consciousness among civil servants are required, noting for example, that ransomware attacks are increasingly affecting businesses and consumers, and indiscriminate campaigns are distributing massive volumes of malicious emails. In May 2017, the WannaCry ransomware cyberattack caused major disruptions to critical information infrastructures of companies and hospitals in more than 150 countries, prompting a call for greater global cooperation.

The most common barriers to e-government resilience are insufficient training and accessibility, as well as e-illiteracy. There is a need for trust, security, and privacy, which can be established through the following cybersecurity measures: (i) adopting a harmonized set of laws at regional and international levels against the misuse of ICTs for criminal or other nefarious purposes; (ii) integrating adequate technical capabilities in detecting and responding to cyber-attacs, and to ensure a climate of trust and security; (iii) and establishing minimum security criteria and accreditation schemes for software applications and systems. A secure e-government system requires collaboration among vendors, industries and manufacturers to ensure that devices are secure by design and that users can interact with them to perform updates and make configurations changes, among others. The digital transformation must be thoughtfully strategized and continuously updated to ensure security and relevance along the path to sustainable development.

Global and regional trends in e-government

E-government has been growing rapidly over the past 17 years since the first attempt of the United Nations to benchmark the state of e-government in 2001. The 2018 Survey highlights a persistent positive global trend towards higher levels of e-government development. In this edition, 40 countries scored “Very-High”, with EGDI values in the range of 0.75 to 1.00, as compared to only 10 countries in 2003, and 29 countries in 2016. Since 2014, all 193 Member States have been delivering some form of online presence. The average world EGDI has been increasing from 0.47 in 2014 to 0.55 in 2018 due to the continuous improvement of its subcomponents indices. This suggests that globally, there has been steady progress in improving e-government and public services provision online. But despite some development gains and major investments made in several countries, the e-government and digital divides persist. Fourteen countries in the Low-EGDI group are African and belong to the least developed countries.

Denmark, followed by Australia and the Republic of Korea, lead the world in providing government services and information through the Internet according to the 2018 E-Government Development Index (EGDI). The remaining countries in the top 10 are the United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, Singapore, New Zealand, France and Japan.

E-government development increases overall across regions, driven largely by improvements in the Online Service Index. The European countries lead e-government development, while the Americas and Asia share almost equal standing in the High- and Middle-EGDI levels. The number of African countries in the High-EGDI-level group remains relatively modest at 6, with only one country, Ghana, joining the group since 2016. Many people in these countries are unable to benefit from ICTs because of poor connectivity, high cost of access and lack of necessary skills. These disadvantages are likely to affect further development of e-government


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in Africa as the pace of technological innovation intensifies. Finally, in order to build a well-functioning e-government, countries need to strengthen investments in developing human capital and telecommunication infrastructure.

According to the 2018 Survey, the complexity of e-government in promoting accountable, effective, inclusive, transparent and trustworthy public services that deliver people-centric outcomes is growing. Currently, there are trends in deploying e-services, especially in health, education, the environment, and decent employment, while the reach to the most vulnerable is expanding. The major drivers of the EGDI, as well as trends in open government data, public participation and engagement for delivery of innovative public services are scrutinized in detail.

According to the Survey, the three most commonly used online services in 2018 are utilities payment, submission of income taxes, and registration of new businesses. Service availability through emails, feed updates, mobile apps and SMS (short message service, or texts) has doubled globally, especially in the health and education sectors. For instance, 176 countries provide online services in education via email alerts to citizens compared to 88 countries in 2016, and 152 countries provided such services in the health sector this year compared to 75 in 2016. A growing number of countries is also providing targeted online services to vulnerable groups: 86 per cent in the Americas, 79 percent in Asia, 57 per cent in Africa, and 15 per cent in Oceania.

One hundred forty (140) Member States provide at least one transactional service online. Improvement in such services is strong and consistent in all assessed categories: paying for utilities; submitting income tax; registering new businesses; paying fines and fee; applying for birth and marriage certificates; registering motor vehicles; and applying for driver’s licenses and personal identity cards.

Transforming cities to increase resilience and sustainability

The Survey provides an overview of assessment models and presents the findings of a pilot study, carried out in 40 municipalities around the world. The challenges and opportunities of applying e-governance to local government units are presented through specific cases. E-government improves public services, citizen engagement, and transparency and accountability of authorities at the local level. E-government also strengthens resilience and sustainability and better aligns local government operations with national digital strategies.

Among the top 10 of the 40 pilot cities, Moscow ranks the highest, followed by Cape Town and Tallinn (second, tie) and by London and Paris (forth, tie). According to the Local Online Services Index (LOSI) used in determining this ranking, the remaining cities in the top 10 are Sydney, Amsterdam and Seoul (seventh, tie), and Rome and Warsaw (ninth, tie). The LOSI covers the technical and content aspects of the city/municipality websites, as well as electronic services provision and e-participation initiatives available through the portals.

Politicians, policy-makers and public officials are creating new policies to promote resilience and sustainability especially in the areas of poverty eradication, equal opportunity for all, support for vulnerable groups, land development and planning, economic development, smart growth, pollution prevention, energy, resources and water conservation, inner-city public transit, eco-projects and alternative energy. Public administration processes are being reengineered to integrate these policies into local planning and development efforts, even as these administrations are striving to keep pace with the speed of technological innovation.

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Improving local e-government is inseparable from the pursuit of sustainable development goals. The 2030 Agenda recognizes the importance of technological innovation in the implementation of the Goals and contains specific references to the need for high quality, timely, reliable and disaggregated data including earth observation and geospatial information. Many of the specific targets of the 2030 Agenda are directly or indirectly related to local e-government assessment indicators. Local governments are indeed the policy-makers and catalysts of change. They are also the level of government best-placed to bind the SDGs with local communities. The development of electronic services and the increasing number of citizens participating in decision-making will motivate efforts to achieve the SDGs and will assist in making cities sustainable, inclusive, safe and resilient.

Fast-evolving technologies affecting e-government and possible applications for the SDGs

Today, fast-evolving technologies have a potential to transform the traditional way of doing things across all functions and domains of government as well as the ways in which ICTs offer governments an unprecedented opportunity to achieve sustainable development and improve the well-being of their citizens. The challenge lay in the fact that the speed with which technology is evolving surpasses the speed with which governments can respond to and use ICTs to their advantage.

The Survey discusses some of these transformative technologies, such as data analytics, Artificial Intelligence including cognitive analytics, robotics, bots, high-performance and quantum computing. It explains how forces driving such technologies are the result of long-term and painstaking research and development, their use by businesses and citizens as well as the increased processing power of hardware, increasing data availability and society’s driving needs and expectations. Oftentimes, it is not the technologies that are new but the convergence of developments in hardware, software and data availability.

Data is being currently referred to as the new oil, the new raw material driving innovation and growth in both the private and public sectors. Indeed, data use will grow exponentially in the next decade and will offer the ability to systematically analyze and act in real time in solving more complex business problems, creating more competitive advantage and making better informed decisions in a tightly connected world. Yet, integrated approaches to achieving synergies and minimizing trade-offs may remain relatively untapped in many countries.

Artificial Intelligence is beneficial, particularly with its potential applications, touching on Neural Networks, Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, and Robotic Process Automation. The recognized benefits of AI are error reduction, robust functioning, delegation of repetitive jobs, improved security, improved business operations as well as improved customer experience. However, the rise in use of AI also carries uncertainty in terms of employment. It is feared that AI, particularly robotic automation, will leave low-skilled workers without jobs.

The fourth industrial revolution and convergence of innovative technologies such as Big Data, Internet of things, cloud computing, geo-spatial data and broadband, AI and machine learning, is promoting a dramatic shift towards more data and machine-driven societies.

Digital transformation does not depend only on technologies alone, but also requires a comprehensive approach that offers accessible, fast, reliable and personalized services. The public sector in many countries is ill-prepared for this transformation. Governments can respond by developing the necessary


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policies, services and regulations, but many of these instruments are slow in being “brought to the market”. Principles such as effectiveness, inclusiveness, accountability, trustworthy and openness should direct the technologies and not the other way around.

The Survey concludes that while e-government began with bringing services online, the future will be about the power of digital government to leverage societal innovation and resilience and to transform governance to better achieve the SDGs.